
Ann Druyan Is Reimagining the Future
Cosmos co-creator discusses communicating her dream for humanity

Ann Druyan Is Reimagining the Future
Cosmos co-creator discusses communicating her dream for humanity

Thoroughbred Horses Are Increasingly Inbred
Inbreeding in Thoroughbreds has increased significantly in the past 45 years, with the greatest rise occurring in the past 15 or so of them.


Wasp Nests Help Date Aboriginal Art
Art created by Australian Aboriginal people used organic carbon-free pigments, but wasp nests above or below the art can be used for radiocarbon dating that supplies boundaries for the age of artworks.

Espresso May Be Better when Ground Coarser
A very fine grind can actually hamper espresso brewing, because particles may clump more than larger particles will.

Kirk, Spock and Darwin
Duke University evolutionary biologist Mohamed A. F. Noor talks about his book Live Long and Evolve: What Star Trek Can Teach Us about Evolution, Genetics, and Life on Other Worlds.

Neandertals Tooled Around with Clams
Neandertals ate clams and then modified the hard shells into tools for cutting and scraping.

Fingering Fake Whiskeys with Isotopes
Whiskeys claimed to be from the 19th century are revealed to be made with much more recently grown barley, thanks to the unique isotopic fingerprint of the nuclear-testing era.

How Do You Write Compellingly about Science?
A new book entitled The Craft of Science Writing explains how to help readers understand the science that underlies so many of the issues that touch our lives

School Teaches Lions How to Star in Movies
Originally published in May 1914

The Eclectic Works of Scientific American's Founder Rufus Porter
The latest science book recommendations from our editors

Poem: Mathematics Sets Sail
Science in meter and verse

Sign Languages Display Distinct Ancestries
Well more than 100 distinct sign languages exist worldwide, with each having features that made it possible for researchers to create an evolutionary tree of their lineages.